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Hi there everyone,
I'm interested in buying a Tenkara fly rod and was hoping someone experienced in this form of fly fishing could answer me the following questions:
1, Which rod as in action, 5.5, 6.4 or 7.3 would you use for fish between the 4" and 4 1/2 lb size?
2. Suitable for czech nymping and dry fly?
3. Which line would you suggest, level or furled?
Thanks
Gig
I hope I don't muddy the waters for you, but to me the answers to your questions aren't simple or straightforward.
1. The action is more akin to a fly rod being fast or slow, tip action or full flex, rather than being different weight rods suited to different sized fish. They are not at all comparable to the various line weights for fly rods. The 5:5 vs 7:3 action primarily tells you where the rod will bend, not so much on how much force is required to bend it or what size fish it can handle. The last two or three sections on all the tenkara rods are pretty soft. It's in the mid and butt sections where you really see the difference. To a large extent, the choice of action should be based on whether you like a faster rod or a slower rod. That said, the 5:5 rods I'm familiar with tend to be softer and would be my choice if I expected to catch 4" fish. The 7:3 rods tend to have more backbone, and MIGHT be my choice if I expected to catch 4 lb fish. Given a choice, I would not choose the same rod for both situations. My #1 choice for the 4 inchers would probably be the Tenkara USA 11' Iwana and for the 4 pounders the Tenkara USA 13.5' Amago (both are 6:4). The Fountainhead Stone Fly 11' (5:5) and 13' (7:3) rods, respectively, are also worthy of consideration for those two situations. Other considerations are how brushy or open the areas are where you'll be fishing. I generally use a longer rod if I can get away with it. For 4" fish in wide open rivers, the 13' Tenkara USA Ayu is fun, too. It's a very soft rod (and not a good choice for Czech nymphing).
When you get between the 4 inchers and 4 pounders, then action preferences, open vs brushy streams, size and weight of fly, frequency of fishing in a breeze, etc all become considerations in rod choice. On some level, that's all fine tuning, though. You could pick most of the rods for most of the uses and be very happy.
2. Much more suitable for dry fly fishing than Czech nymphing. The soft tip sections make it a bit harder to get good hooksets when fishing a team of heavy nymphs deep, particularly in current. Because of it's stiffness, the Backpacking Light Hane would be my first choice for Czech nymphing, but would be my last choice for dries or small unweighted wets. Second choice for Czech nymphing would probably be the Tenkara USA Yamame, which has great backbone, but still has a tip section a little soft for heavy nymphs. It would also be a reasonable choice for the 4 pounders, althought the two rods mentioned above would probably protect tippets a bit better. The Fountainhead rods seem to have slightly softer tips, and would not be my choice for Czech nymphing, but are fine with dries, unweighted wets and lightly weighted nymphs.
3. Choice of line is mostly matter of personal preference. I think level casts better if there is any breeze. A lot of people think furled turns over better. If you decide on level, though, by all means choose fluorocarbon rather than mono. I'm a strong advocate of hi-vis lines, in either level or furled, particularly if you are fishing wets or nymphs.
One rod or line to do it all is clearly a compromise. For an all around rod I generally suggest the 12' Iwana. For an all around line, the size 4 hi-vis fluorocarbon level line. As with any other type of fishing, though, ask 10 people and you'll get 10 different answers.
Wow, that's some good advise. I have the 6:4 Amago, 13 foot Tenkara USA rod. I use a furled and a level line. Experiment around with leader lengths and fly weights till you find something you like. The largest fish I've been able to land was a 3 pound Koi. I feel comfortable landing 2 pound peacock bass.
I also have a 5:5, 13 foot Motsugo rod from Allfishingbuy. I like the 5:5 and want to get a
Tenkara UAS 5:5 rod. I haven't gotten into any larger fish with it yet, but it sure is fun on the under 1 pound fish.
The Tenkara USA rods are a little over twice the cost, but when they are put side by side you can easily see the difference in quality. The Motsugo rod will do nicely for my 7 year old granddaughter catching bluegill. I feel more comfortable with her using a $60 rod than a
$160 one. LOL
Thanks for the replies fellas its greatly appreciated :)
I bought my first rod this morning as I could'nt resist. It may not be the best or the perfect rod to suit my needs but it was calling me and it's a start :) A Wakata 12ft fly rod (6:4) with a 10lb level line and i have tippet material at home. This should take about 6-12 days to arrive but since its Xmas maybe even longer. This form of fly fishing does look like fun and i do love the minimum requirements this technique uses. Just my cup of tea as I do like the "keep it simple stupid' system :)
Got my rod and line the other day and have it all set up but the rivers and streams are flowing too high. I need a break, its killing me :(
Gig,
From the news reports we get here in the states, the waters are waaaaaaaaayyyyyyy high in Australia, as in severe flooding. Is that affecting your area?
Hoping your staying dry,
REE
Yes the floods hit my home town first but luckily i was not effected as i live in a higher estate. Alot of our roads were flooded and a 20 minute drive to work ended in an 1hr detour. The X wife and my children unfortunately got flooded but with the aid of a few friends we cleaned up quickly but unfortunately they lost everything but lucky she was insured.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron Eagle Elk
Glad to hear you are safe and dry. Sorry to hear the X and kids lost everything in the flooding. My home was flooded twice when I was a kid. Lost a lot of childhood memories in those floods. Hope the waters drop soon and life can get back to somewhat normal.
REE
The flooding is going up to 14 meters now and its reaping havoc with homes, grops and livestock. All this because the greenies did not want dams built, wankers. Anyway, hopefully our government will learn from this gatastrophy.
Hey Gig,
Have you used your Tenkara Wakata yet? I was hoping you would give me a good report on it as I'm thinking of trying it for my first Tenkara to see if I like that style of fishing !! I think it looks like a lot of fun!!
Thanks Buddy,
DragonFly
No not yet, rivers and streams have been up down under (Australia) with all our flooding. But as soon as i get the opportunity I will report on the rod :)Quote:
Originally Posted by DragonFly